Psych2LKIT

Category: AA

I mean to go to some of the literary events in my backyard here in South Florida. There are a ton.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve made 6 false starts on a book. I have half written books all over my desktop. I’m using them as source material and am 9 chapters and 30k words into a 28 chapter book. And I freelance!!!

This is all fine and well if you don’t mind being alone, but I’m a social animal. I truly love people.

For a long time, AA was a ready stand-in for a social life…hell, you can talk about anything with AA’ers (except bipolar or meds for same) as long as you don’t pick up that drink!

Finally, I realized I don’t belong there and left. I can count the amount of friends I have on one finger and they’re all from AA and struggling with their disease. Oddly, I don’t relate. I understand, but don’t relate because alcohol itself has never been my demon. I’m plagued with bipolar/eating disorder/tardive dyskinesia/metabolic syndrome/ and hunger for friends who aren’t plagued with problems like these.

So, this is being addressed in DBT therapy. There are 4 modules in DBT, ‘Mindfulness,’ ‘Distress Tolerance,’ ‘Interpersonal Effectiveness’ and ‘Emotional Regulation.’

They have a shitload of teachings on ‘how to meet people and have them like you.’ Things like cutting back on TMI, an overall prohibition on apologizing for yourself, etc.,

I can clearly see how some of my behaviors from the time I was a child have put me into the isolation jackpot I’m in today.

I’m a work in progress. I always was. I always will be. The difference now is, I know it.

The module I just completed in DBT was interpersonal communication. Some of it was painful, but this idea of escaping the irrational ’emotion’ mind is the key to feeling good about yourself and being able to make friends and enjoy life just a little. Not be so ‘intense.’

I’m not asking for much. I just don’t want my mind to be some sort of Shawshank Redemption.

And right now, it is.

BTW, with DBT, at first I was skeptical. A fad, buzzword, trend, catchall.

Nope. DBT lives up to the Hype. People in my group are in their 2nd, 3rd, 4th year.

just because I’m not gonna let people throw me under the bus doesn’t mean I have to be mean, right? I’m studying humor so I can, in Sheryl Crow’s words, “I’m gonna tell everyone to ‘Lighten Up'” from “Soak up the Sun.”

Ironically, lately, I have been having to ‘work a program’ on a work situation. Acceptance, doing it their way. Removing my ego and proactive nature and allowing them to tell me what THEY want. Working on my ‘attitude of gratitude’ that I have a home to learn and grow in my writing.

Then, this post kinda knocking the program comes out. What am I supposed to do….ignore it? What do you think? Am I obnoxious or what?